Get started quickly with the Visio 2013 trial

Originally published in October 2013, this post was updated in April 2014 to include simplified installation steps.

The Visio 2013 trial is available in 2 formats to meet your needs: subscription service or traditional download.

Visio trial via Office 365

Visio Pro for Office 365 is a subscription service and can be easily downloaded to most personal computers. You can sign up for a 1-month trial of Visio Pro for Office 365 that will give you the always up-to-date experience of click-to-run in Office 365, and it’s easy to continue your paid subscription after the trial period expires. We recommend this option for most users. Here are a few tips to help get started successfully.

New user accounts

New users or current small and mid-sized business subscribers (with E1 or E2 plans) should create a new user account.

Once an account is created, you can set up your service:

In the Dashboard, click the Set up link.

In the Quick Start section, click Start.

Choose the appropriate domain, then click Next.

Click the Add users and assign licenses link.

If you are the only user, choose I don’t want to add users right now. If you would like to create new user accounts with temporary passwords, choose Add users one at a time.

Click the Start using your services link, then click Done.

To download Visio, click the Download link on the left side of the Office 365 Admin Center, or click the gear icon in the upper right, and choose from the subsequent menus Office 365 settings > Software > Visio.

Note: It may take a few minutes to provision the Visio license.

Add trial licenses to existing user accounts

If you are an existing Office 365 Enterprise Subscriber (E3 plan and above), please sign in with an existing account. Then, simply click Add or Purchase Visio Pro for Office 365 for your subscription as a trial.

Now, add the Visio license to a user: Sign in to the Office 365 admin center, click users and groups, and then click the user’s Display Name.

On the Assign Licenses page, select Visio Pro for Office 365 and then click Save.

Now that the trial license has been assigned to a user, on the right side of the Admin page, click Download Software.

Installation from Office 365

Determine which version of Office is installed on your machine by following these steps.

If your version of Office is 32 bits, simply click the Install button. If your version of Office is 64 bits, then select advanced, choose 64 bit, and then click Install.

Visio trial via TechNet download

If you are a bit more technical or plan a traditional 1-time purchase of the full software license, you can download the trial software through our TechNet Evaluation Center site. Like many common software trials, this installation will eventually expire and require that you enter an activation key for continued use.

Here are a few steps to follow for a smooth installation of the TechNet trial.

Choose the right version

Some confusion can arise if there is a mismatch between a version of Office already installed on your computer and the new Visio version. First, check whether you are running 32-bit or 64-bit Office. Then, when beginning the Visio download, choose the corresponding version of Visio. Here’s a screenshot that indicates how to choose the correct version.

Save your trial key

Once signed in, you will receive a trial product key along with an option to download the trial package.

The most common product key issues can be addressed as follows:

Product key not visible in browser. Sometimes, there are issues in rendering the product key. To fix this issue, you can simply reset your browser settings.

Product key lost or corrupted. If the product key is lost or damaged, follow a few simple steps to replace the key.

Installation steps

The TechNet trial of Visio 2013 is available for download in simple .exe format. Once the download is complete, double-click the .exe file to install Visio.